


For Someone so Smart, He Sure is Stupid

by Dagger_To_The_Rose



Series: For Someone so Smart, He Sure is Stupid [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Minor Character Death, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-05 14:25:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11015238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagger_To_The_Rose/pseuds/Dagger_To_The_Rose
Summary: Levi Ackerman. For someone so smart, he sure is stupid.Takes place before and during the 57th expedition beyond the walls; Reader is a skilled cadet in her early twenties, and is in a relationship with Corporal Levi Ackerman.





	1. Chapter 1

“Oi, brat” your head snapped up at the sound of Captain Levi’s voice that came from the entrance to the mess hall.

When your eyes found his face, you saw that he was already staring right back into your eyes, meaning that his statement was directed at you.

“Office, now” He commanded before turning on his heel and stalking out of the room.

You quickly cleaned your food and your tray away and said goodbye to your friends before following the Captain up to his office.

You peeked through the door that was left open for you, and you could see Levi standing in front of his desk with his back turned towards the door and you. You bit your lip and smiled, walking quietly through the door and shutting it behind you; Levi only seemed to notice your presence when he heard the final ‘snick’ of the door closing. He turned towards you, and leaned back to rest his weight on the edge of his desk. His face adorned his usual stoic expression, and it remained the same as you crossed the room to stand in front of him. His legs parted slightly when you were close enough, and you took the opportunity to stand between them.

“Did you need something Captain?” You asked teasingly as you delicately gripped the front of his pristine white button down shirt between your fingers

His lips remained in a straight line, but you could see the flash of amusement in his eyes because of your actions.

“Actually, I have some good news” He said

You raised your eyebrows at this “Oh? And what would that be?”

His arms looped around your waist and his hands rested on the small of your back, drawing you closer to him. 

“Erwin approved your transfer to my elite squad” This time, he actually smiled slightly when he spoke

“What?!” you exclaimed, grasping onto his biceps “You didn’t tell me you were doing that!”

His eyebrows furrowed as he searched your face “Are you not happy with it? Because I can have a talk with him-”

“No, no, no” I cut him off and smiled down at him “Of course I’m happy, I just didn’t know that you wanted me to be on your squad”

“You’re a good soldier, of course I want you on my squad” You tilted your head to the side and raised your eyebrows at him “I also, may just want you to be near me to I can be sure that you’re safe”

“That’s what I figured you were actually thinking” you giggled, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to his lips

“But you are a great soldier, don’t think that I’m not sincere about that”

“You’re always sincere” You smiled and looped your arms loosely around his shoulders

“Only when it comes to you” He leaned forward and placed a kiss to the tip of your nose “Since you’re here, would you mind helping me with some paperwork? Erwin has been on my ass about it lately”

You sighed but smiled “I should’ve known that’s why you brought me here at this time. You always wait to do your work until after dinner”

“Because people rarely come to my office after this time. Less interruptions” He kissed you once again before standing up straight and heading over to his desk chair. He sat down and patted his lap, inviting you to join him. You accepted happily and plopped yourself right down onto his lap; taking the pen he was holding, you began looking over the large stack of papers.

“I can see why Erwin has been on your ass about these, Levi! This report was due over a month ago!”

“Tch. Hange has reports from three years ago that she has yet to turn in, he shouldn’t be concerned over me”

You rolled your eyes at your ridiculous Captain but went back to helping him with his work. The two of you continued like this for about half an hour, and you got through a decent amount of his paperwork before someone rapped loudly against the wooden door of Levi’s office. Levi didn’t even lift his eyes from the paper before shouting,

“Who is it?”

“Levi, It’s Erwin. May I come in?” Commander Erwin spoke from the other side

Levi’s head shot up, his eyes wide. He looked at you and then back at the door, and then he basically catapulted you from his lap and onto the sofa that was next to the desk. Before you even had time to recover yourself, Levi spoke again

“Come in Erwin” he said and settled himself back into his spot, shuffling his chair closer to his desk.

Erwin poked his head through the door, his eyes fell on Levi, and then onto you.

“Ah, hello Cadet” Erwin greeted you “I trust that Captain Levi has already told you about your squad transfer?”

You nodded “He has sir, and thank you”

“Don’t thank me” he waved a hand “It was Levi that insisted you join his squad, he was very adamant about it”

Your forced a smile to your face and nodded again. The commander focused his attention back on Levi

“Levi, have you finished that last report I gave you? I’ll be needing it back”

“Oh uhm,” Levi cleared his throat, looking for the report that you had just finished working on together “Yes, here it is”

“Thank you. Have a goodnight Captain, you too Cadet” Erwin said before making his way out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

You crossed your arms over your chest as you focused your gaze back on Levi. He wouldn’t bring his eyes to meet yours. You leaned back on the couch and pursed your lips, still waiting for him to look at you.

“Ahem”

He finally looked up to you at this, raising his eyebrows in confusion

“What?” he asked 

You didn't say anything

“You look upset” He finally observed

“ _Gee_ , you think?” You said sarcastically

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

“What did you do?” You repeated after him, astonished that he couldn't pick up on this “You threw me off of your lap when Erwin came to the door! Have you not told him?”

“Told him what?” He asked and turned his chair fully towards you

“About us?”

He seemed confused by the suggestion of this “No, why would I?”

“Why wouldn’t you? We’ve been together for months now Levi!”

“I don't know, I just didn’t think it was important”

Your mouth hung open at this. Not important? How could he say that he didn't think that your relationship was something important?

“What did I say?” Levi asked when you stopped responding to him

You looked down at the ground, you almost wanted to cry, but you weren’t going to let yourself do that. You steeled yourself and raised your gaze back up to meet Levi’s.

“Nothing, you’re right. I understand completely” You said and began making your way out of his office

“Where are you going?” He asked and stood up from his chair

“Bed” You stated simply, not turning back to look at him

“But my bed is that way” He said and pointed over his shoulder towards the closed door to his bedroom

“I’m going to be sleeping in my own bed tonight”

He furrowed his brows, still confused as to what had made you upset “Why? you’ve been sleeping in my bed every night for months?”

“Well, tonight just doesn’t seem to be one of those night” You said finally before leaving his office and slamming the door shut behind you. Levi slumped back down into his chair, scratching at his head and trying to figure out where the night had gone so wrong.

 

The next morning, training for the elite squad had begun, but you were nowhere to be found.

“Petra!” Captian Levi called to the petite red haired woman

“Yes Captain?”

“Have you seen Cadet (y/n) anywhere this morning?”

“She was in the mess hall this morning with Eren and Jean sir, but other than that, I haven’t seen her”

Levi’s brows furrowed together as he scanned over the HQ courtyard again, spotting Yeager and Kirstein standing across the yard, training with their own squad. Levi walked swiftly over to the pair, excusing them from their training for a few moments and pulling them to the side.

“Do either of you know where Cadet (y/n) is?” He questioned the young boys, both of them seemed intimidated by the Captains emotionless face

“She mentioned that she was going to go and speak with Commander Erwin sir, she headed straight there after breakfast this morning.” Jean told you, and Eren nodded along

“Commander Erwin? Did she say what for?”

“Squad Leader Mike had asked her if she wished to join his squad, figuring that her speed on the field would be useful to him. So she was going to ask Commander Erwin to switch squads”

“She wants to switch to his squad?” Levi was beyond confused at this point, and almost bordering on anger. You had literally just become a member of his squad as of last night, and for some reason you already wanted to switch? Levi dismissed the boys and stomped back over to his team.

“Is everything alright Captain?” Petra questioned, taking in the angry expression that was currently adorning his face

“Fine” he spat “I need to find Cadet (y/n)”

“Oh, I just saw her walk by with Squad Leader Mike” Gunther spoke up, pausing his cleaning of his equipment to point across the yard to where you were standing.

Levi breathed heavily through his nose as he made his way towards you and Squad Leader Mike.

“Cadet (y/n)” He shouted when he was a few meters away from you

You turned to face Levi and levelled him with a look that he had never seen from you before, especially not directed at him.

“Captain” You said and held your hands behind your back

The two of you stared at eachother for a moment, your (e/c) eyes meeting his steely grey ones.

“You requested to change squads? After asking to join mine? Why?” Levi was trying to keep his emotions in check, you knew that he wasn’t actually angry, only upset and frustrated because he couldn't figure out why you were mad at him and why you would try to switch your squad.

“Actually Sir” you began calmly “ _ you’re _ the one that asked for me to join you and your squad. And without asking me first, might I add.” Your expression looked eerily similar to the one that Levi usually wore, which was confusing to the others around you because you were usually always happy and smiling.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a squad waiting on me” You turned your back to him and gripped onto Squad Leader Mike’s arm, trying to lead him away quickly.

“Cadet (y/n)!” Levi called after you “This conversation isn’t over! Get back here!”

You stopped in your tracks before whipping around to face him. You plastered an obviously fake smile onto your face.

“Actually sir, I believe we are done here.” You began “You asked me a question, and I answered you. If there is another question that you’re looking for the answer to, then I suggest you  **_figure it out_ ** before we resume this conversation” Your smile was long gone by this point, your own emotions were raging as you looked at the raven haired man. “Unless this is another thing that isn’t important to you” You threw the line from last night back in his face, hoping that he would finally take the fucking hint.

“Captain!” The two of you turned your heads to see a young cadet rushing towards you “The Commander is moving the date of the expedition, he wants to leave today instead of next week” she breathed, trying to catch her breath

“What? Why?” Levi demanded

“He doesn’t want to wait another week, he needs to send reports to the Military Police on Eren’s status with us.”

“Fuck the Military Police” Levi grunted “He’s not ready to go out on the field”

“Commander knows that, but he still wants us moving by this afternoon” with that, the young cadet was rushing off and informing the other Squad Leaders about the plan change; everyone began scrambling to get their gear and horses prepared.

Levi was still standing in front of you, his gaze still trained on your face. He took a few small steps forward, slowly, almost like he thought you would run if he moved any faster.

“I want you to come with my squad” He said, voice barely above a whisper; and he grasped your hand softly in his “so I can keep you safe”

You looked away from his face, your jaw was clenched as you ripped your hand out of his grip “You don’t need to worry over me, Sir” You said, still not looking back to him “I’m not that important”

With this, you finally turned to walk away with Squad Leader Mike, not looking back once.

“Trouble in paradise?” Mike said once the two of you had mounted your horses

“What?” You questioned, brows furrowed. You would assume that since Levi didn't tell Erwin, then he wouldn't have told anyone else either.

“You two are together, no?” 

“How do you know that? Levi said he didn't tell anyone about us”

Mike shrugged “you always smell like him at breakfast, I assumed.”

You could feel a blush rising to your cheeks, of course it would be Mike to figure things out like that. You had wondered why he took such an interest in smelling you when you and Levi had first gotten together.

“So? What's going on with you two?” It was strange to see Mike be so interested in this topic, usually he didn't care about what anyone else was doing.

“He told me that he didn't think our relationship was important enough to tell Erwin about” I sighed “he literally threw me away from him when Erwin came to his office last night” 

Mike shook his head and chuckled “yeah, that sounds like our Levi”

“He doesn't even get why I'm mad though, and I've literally said his line back at him  _ twice _ today”

By this point, we were nearing the gate of wall Rose, the plan for this expedition was to get to Shiganshina district and get Eren back to his family home.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike’s squad was just ahead of Squad Levi in the middle of the formation. We'd be the ones to have contact with titans right before they did. Levi was happy about this arrangement, because it meant that he could still look out for you. 

After a few minutes of riding, you noticed that red flares began shooting up into the sky from the right flank 

“Damn, they're dealing with a lot of titans over there” one of your squad members grumbled “let's just hope that they don't get over here anytime soon”

You could see Mike out of the corner of your eye, he was sniffing the air, looking for any incoming titans

“The closest one is about a mile away, be prepared to deal with it” he told the squad, we all nodded, readying our gear

“We're going to be at a disadvantage using 3DM out here” I said 

Mike nodded at me

“just be quick and don't try anything fancy” you were startled at the voice that suddenly appeared next to you. Levi had sped up his horse so that the two of you were riding side by side

“Levi, what are you doing here! You need to get back to your squad” you reprimanded him

“I told you, I need to make sure you're safe” 

“Oh, fuck off” you shouted. Then, you saw the titan that Mike had been talking about; it was clearly a variant, if the way it ran was anything to go by.

“(Y/N), I'll take out the legs, you go for the nape” Mike instructed you “you're the fastest out here”

I nodded and standed up on the saddle of my horse 

“Let me do it” Levi asked, watching you from his horse “you've never taken down a variant”

“Why do you fucking care so much?” You said through gritted teeth

“What are you talking about?” Levi scrunched his brows together, drawing his swords as we neared the titan

“You said you didn't care last night you daft idiot!” With that, you leapt off of your horse's back, sinking the hooks of your gear into the soft flesh of the titans back.

“Is that why you're mad? Because you think I don't care about you?” Levi shouted after you. You could see him flying towards the legs of the titan, slicing through its Achilles' tendons and causing it to collapse. Just before it hit the ground, you swung your swords and cut a clean slice out of its nape, effectively killing it. 

You stood on the back of the titans head, meeting Levi's gaze as he walked up its back.

“Is that really why you're mad at me?” He asked, walking closer to you

“You said that you didn't think our relationship was important Levi! Of course that would upset me!” You were shouting again. The two of you were making quite a scene, you were standing on top of a dead titan and shouting at each other with your swords still drawn 

“You know I didn't mean it like that” he told you, his face still as cold as ever. That face was really infuriating you at this point you could almost punch him, all you wanted was for him to show some sort of emotion right now.

“I never know what you mean Levi! I never know what you're thinking! You always just seem angry and bored!”

His face softened a bit at you, finally realizing how you felt “I'm bad at expressing my emotions, I know this.”

“Then you need to tell me what you're thinking” you took a few steps toward him

“I didn't mean to make you feel like I don't care for you. You're the one person I care for most” he took your hands in his and looked into your eyes “I'll tell everyone about us if you want me to. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy” 

You sighed and looked at your feet “I'm sorry Levi, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like I did. I know that you care for me, and I should've just talked with you about it instead of acting like a child”

“Hey” he said softly and lifted your face with a finger under your chin “I'm not mad at you for anything. I just want us to be okay”

You nodded “I think we're okay now”

A small smile graced his face and he pulled you to him “I love you, and I'll tell you all day, everyday if I have to”

You chuckled at him “I love you too”

You were just leaning in to kiss him when Mike and the other two squads pulled up beside you

“Alright you two, we have to get moving!” Mike shouted 

“Fuck off Mike” Levi turned to stare at him

“I’m serious Levi, the right flank search squad has been decimated. We got word that a female titan has been spotted, and she brought a horde of other titans with her”

Levi’s eyes widened slightly and he turned to look back at you

“Go” you nodded to him “We need humanity's strongest out there”

“Don't you dare get killed out here, brat”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Levi”

He showed a small semblance of a smile before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. He then jumped off of the fallen titan body and returned to his horse and his squad. Together they rode off to the forest that was just ahead of you. You followed suit and dismounted the titan before climbing up onto your own horse again.

“So, you two good now?” Mike asked as your squad took off

You smiled and nodded at him “Took him fucking long enough to figure it out though”

“For a very smart man, he sure is stupid”

You laughed at this “Sometimes, yeah”

 

Your squad began the ride towards the forest, making it through a few minutes without any titan sightings. But soon enough, you could hear the thunderous footfalls approaching you from the left rear side of your formation. You looked over your shoulder to see another variant titan running full speed straight at your small group.

“You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up” You said, turning to face Mike quickly

“Are you sure?” He questioned you “That thing looks pretty fast”

“But you know that I’m faster”

He grinned at you “You got me there. Good luck (Y/N)”

You nodded at him quickly before turning your horse around to charge at the titan. It was a fifteen meter class by the looks of it, its arms held across its chest like it was hugging itself. You drew your swords and waited to engage your gear until you were close enough to the beast. There were a few trees around you, but there weren't enough for you to be able to properly use your 3DM gear to swing around. Once you were close enough, you shot the hooks from your gear, and they implanted themselves into the meat of the titan’s shoulder. As you were pulling yourself in by the wires, the titan spun around quickly, and the momentum of this move slammed you sideways into one of the lone trees nearby. You groaned as your head collided with the hard bark of the tree; you were suspended upside down, looking helplessly at the wires from your gear that were tangled in the branches above.

“Shit” you cursed under your breath, attempting to remove the straps from around your waist

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the titan rearing back on you, its large hand was reaching towards your hanging body.

“Motherfucking  _ fuck _ ” You cursed again, still trying to detach yourself from the gear

The titan hand slowly wrapped around you and forcefully pulled you from the tree. Its grip on you was so tight as it lifted you to its mouth that you felt your left arm snap; you were sure that it was broken. You let out a sharp cry of pain, but you knew that there was no one around to hear it; all of the other squads should have made it to the forest by now. Desperately, you tried to reach for the dagger that was strapped onto your right thigh; it wouldn’t do much in the case of killing this titan, but it could just be what sets you free from it’s grip. Just as the titan was about to throw you into its mouth, your fingers wrapped around the hilt of your dagger, and with all of your strength, you yanked it upwards and sliced through the fingertips that were wrapped around you. The large hand opened, letting you drop almost fifteen meters to the ground. You landed gracelessly on your feet, probably fracturing one of your ankles.

You groaned as you layed face-down in the grass and dirt, not knowing how much longer you could put up a fight against this titan. When you were finally able to roll yourself onto your back, you could see the titan examining its hand that held you moments ago. Then, it turned its gaze back on you, moving slowly towards where you lay. You let your eyes fall closed, the only thing you could think of was how Levi would be so mad at you for dying out here today; you were sure that he’d come up with a whole bunch of new and creative names to call you along with brat, and idiot. You smiled at the thought of Levi though, and you were glad that the two of you were able to make up before you died. When you finally re-opened your eyes, you saw the titan’s face still looming over you; except now it seemed like it was coming at you rather quickly. You realized why as the body collapsed down beside you, its eyes still wide and staring back at you. You were confused for a moment, and then you saw the person looming over the fallen titan.

“(Y/N)!” They called, running over to where you were still lying in the dirt

You knew that voice “Petra?” you managed to speak

“Oh god” she said and kneeled down beside you “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I'm okay, for the most part” You said “How did you find me?”

“Mike ran into our squad, said he was worried because you never caught up with them”

You nodded along in understanding “My gear is shot, the titan slammed me into a tree. And I think it broke my arm when it grabbed me”

“Can you stand?” she asked, reaching out for your arm that wasn’t injured

You grimaced when you placed weight onto your right ankle, Petra took notice of your expression.

“Is your foot broken too?” 

You shook your head and let out a puff of breath “I don’t think so, maybe fractured”

“We need to get you back to HQ, you can’t fight like this” She pulled you over to her horse, and practically lifted you up onto the back of the saddle.

“I can’t leave Petra, you guys are still out there”

“Like I said, you can’t fight with that arm and foot. And you’d be no use to us if you’re dead either.” She shook her head at you, “Plus, Levi would never forgive me if I let you die out here”

“Petra, it would be me that he’d be mad at. Not you”

“Please, (Y/N) just get back to HQ. Hange was already on her way back a little while ago, she’s got a lot of injured soldiers to tend to”

“Petra, I-”

“(Y/N) so help me, I will knock you out and send this horse back to HQ myself. Now get out of here”

You looked at her sadly before letting out a short sigh “You all better come back alive, or I’m kicking all of your asses, broken bones and all”

She gave a small smile and nodded at you before taking off with her gear and heading back in the direction of the forest.

You watched her retreating form for a few minutes, until you could no longer see her figure swinging between the trees.

Then you began your retreat back to HQ, your horse running at full speed towards Wall Rose. You heard the shot of a signal flare being fired not too long after, and looking over your shoulder you notice that it was a blue colored flare that was fired. The sign for retreat. You let out a relieved sigh, knowing that everyone would be following not too far behind you back to the Survey Corps HQ.

 

You were currently sat in Hanji's office, and she was taking a look at your ankle. She had mentioned something about it being a ‘hairline break’, meaning that your ankle was technically broken, but you could still move it around and it could’ve been much worse.

“You really need to not put any weight on this, or else it could turn into a full on break.” she told you, wrapping your ankle in a beige gauze material 

“Okay, I’ll try to stay off of it for a while. Can I still do training and things though?”

She pondered your question for a moment “I suppose you can do 3DM gear training, but I would stay away from combat”

You nodded along with her instructions. 

Just as she finished wrapping your ankle, you heard the sound of horses approaching the HQ; meaning that the rest of the soldiers had finally returned.

“Hanji, I need to go” You said and began to push yourself up and off of her table

“What? No, I still need to finish looking over you” She said, trying to push you back down into your seated position

“Hanji! Levi and everyone else is back, plus you have more important issues to tend to don’t you?”

She shook her head “I only need a few more minutes, then you can go”

“Ughh, fine” you groaned

The door to Hanji’s office swung open a few short moments later, revealing Jean Kirstein and a very drained looking Eren Yeager. Jean’s eyes widened when he noticed you sitting in the room.

“(Y/N)?!” He exclaimed, quickly passing Eren off to Hanji “What? How’d you-”

Your brows furrowed together in confusion “What’s up Jean?”

“Everyone thought you were dead! How are you here?” he pulled one of your hands into his, almost like he was checking to make sure it was really you

“Wait, what? Why did everyone think I was dead? Petra sent me back here after she found me”

Jean’s face turned grim as I finished my sentence, alerting me that something terrible had happened “Petra…” he began “Her, and the rest of Squad Levi were taken out by the female titan that we encountered. So she never got to tell anyone that you were safe”

“Squad Levi? They’re all dead?” your jaw hung open and your eyes were wide. Jean refused to make eye contact with you, his eyes were glued to the ground as he nodded.

“And Levi?” You questioned quickly

“He wasn’t there when they were attacked. He got injured later, but he’s fine”

You let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. Levi was fine, the two of you had made it back. But Petra... And Oluo, Eld, Gunther... how could they all be gone?

“Wait, (Y/N) you need to go and see Levi! He doesn’t know that you’re alive” Jean almost shouted

Your eyes widened “Shit! I have to go! Bye Jean, bye Hanji!” you called as you jumped off of the table

“Wait (Y/N)! Your ankle!” Hanji called after you

“Fuck my ankle! I need to go see Levi!”

You ran down the hallways as fast as you could, ankle be damned. Your eyes searching the crowd of soldiers that were pouring in from outside; Levi was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, you caught a glimpse of a familiar head of black hair wandering down the hall; Levi was going into his office. You sprinted after him, and you were just about to shout his name when he slammed his office door shut. You knew that he’d be devastated over his squad, and him thinking you were dead would just be making it even worse. You knocked quickly on his door when you reached it, patiently listening for any sounds from inside.

“Go away, whoever you are” He finally said

You gave the door knob a test twist, finding that it was unlocked you stepped inside. Levi had his head hanging low over his desk, his fingers pulling at the ends of his hair.

“Levi?” You voiced quietly, as to not startle him

He whipped his head up, fury was written all over his face as he prepared to scream at whoever entered his office without permission. His jaw fell slack though, when his eyes landed on you.

“(Y/N)?” his voice was shaky as he spoke

“I’m here Levi, I’m okay-”

Levi shot out of his chair so fast that it went flying backwards, he crossed the room over to you in a matter of seconds.

“I can’t believe you’re here” He whispered and wrapped you into his arms. He lifted you off the ground, forcing you to wrap your arms around his shoulders and your legs around his waist. Your fingers slowly carded themselves though Levi’s hair, while his face was buried into your chest. The two of you stayed like this for a while, just holding each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I actually have an alternate ending to this story, with less titans and such; so let me know if you'd like to read that. Also let me know if you want a backstory as to how/when the reader and Levi met and got together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is pretty short, and is also mostly filler. Sorry.

It was Levi that ended up breaking the silence between the two of you.

“Everyone told me that you were-” he paused, and you could see him visibly collect himself before finishing his thought “-dead” 

You hummed in response, still carding your fingers through his dark hair “Petra found me, and sent me back to HQ”

You could feel Levi stiffen under your touch at the mention of Petra’s name. He sat the two of you down on the couch that was just next to his desk

“I’m sorry” you told him “I know how much your squad means to you”

He nodded his head “They deserved better. If they hadn’t been on my squad-”

“Levi, don’t do this” you interrupted him “They wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else and you know it. Everyone here knows the risks, and we all accepted them when we signed up”

You lifted his face so that he was looking directly into your eyes “I don’t want to see you blaming yourself for what happened, okay?”

He nodded at you again, pulling you closer to him. You tried to hide your wince as he shifted you over his lap. He of course, noticed anyway.

“Are you alright?” He questioned, his concern shifting over to you immediately

“I’m fine, just a broken arm” you smiled reassuringly at him

“And your foot?” He gestured towards the gauze wrapped around your bare foot

“Hairline break” you shrugged

“And you were walking on it?” he furrowed his brows together

You rolled your eyes at him, but smiled “I was more concerned over the fact that I had to tell you that I wasn’t dead”

He nodded in understanding 

“What did you hurt? Jean told me you got injured just before you guys came back”

He shrugged “My leg”

You raised your eyebrows at him “You should probably go see Hange, Levi”

“Tch. I’d rather not have to deal with her right now” He waved the idea off

“Levi” you said softly “Please, you need to take care of yourself”

He looked at you with the same bored expression as always, he opened his mouth to say something but shut it again right after. You placed a soft kiss against the cool skin of his cheek. When you pulled away, his turned his face so that he was looking at you once more; he pressed a chaste kiss to your lips and then pressed his forehead against yours when he pulled away.

“Okay” he relented “I’ll go see Hange in the morning. I just want to stay here with you tonight.”

“Okay” you whispered back to him, leaning back in to kiss him again.

 

You woke up the next morning, the sunlight streaming in through the windows of Levi’s bedroom. You looked over your shoulder at the other half of the bed, the sheets were empty but still slightly warm from where Levi had been sleeping. You realized where he was when you heard the faucet from the shower begin to run in the bathroom. You sat up from the bed, stretched your arms over your head and gave a little sigh. The white blankets pooled around your bare waist as you rested your back against the headboard of the bed.

“Captain Levi, Sir, Hange sent me to find you-” your head whipped towards the door to the bedroom. A wide-eyed Eren Jaeger stood, staring at you in your spot on the bed.

You let out a shriek and pulled the sheets up to cover yourself.

“Eren!” you shouted

“S-sorry (Y/N)! I was looking for Captain Levi. I didn’t realize you’d be..” He paused, seeming to still be taking in the sight in front of him

“Get out” A low voice sounded from across the room

You both looked up to see Levi, standing in the doorway to the bathroom, a white towel slung around his hips “Are you deaf? Or just fucking stupid, brat?”

“Y-yes Sir! I mean no Sir! Sorry Sir! I’ll be leaving now” Eren scrambled to get out of the room as fast as he could, accidentally running into the doorframe on his way out.

“Tch. Stupid brat” Levi said before strolling over to you

“That was perfect timing on your part, thanks to your three minute showers” You laughed

Levi hummed, and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of your hair “Erwin wants to meet with everyone, including you.” he said and moved over to his closet to ready his clothes for the day

“Why me?” I questioned “I’m not a squad leader or anything”

He shrugged and stepped into his white uniform pants “He didn’t give me any reasons, just the meeting request”

“Okay” You stood up from the bed and pulled your own pants on, doing up the straps around your legs “Well, you’re going to have to give me one of your shirts since you so unceremoniously  _ ripped _ mine last night”

He smirked at you and threw you one of his white button down shirts “I expect that to be returned to me in pristine condition”

“As long as you keep your hands off of it while it’s on me, I’m sure it’ll be fine” You chuckled as you did up the last button one handedly and slung your brown leather jacket over your shoulders

“I make no promises” He glanced at you over his shoulder, taking in your appearance as you carefully brushed your right hand fingers through your (h/c) hair.

“How am I going to put my boots on?” You wondered aloud, sitting back down on the side of the bed

“I can help?” Levi offered, turning around to face you

“I just don’t know how they’re going to be once I get them on. But I don't want to walk around bare-footed either” 

Levi pondered this for a moment “I can carry you?”

“Not with that leg of yours, no” 

“But-”

“No, I appreciate it Levi, but no” you smiled at him 

“Then what would you like to do?”

 

This was how you ended up riding on the back of Jean Kirstein down to Commander Erwin’s office. You didn’t manage to get your boots on, the swelling in your ankle was still too bad. Levi strolled slowly beside you, rejecting the offers of help from any other cadet.

Jean moved to shift you higher up on his back, causing his hands to slide rather high up your thighs.

“Oi, watch your hands Kirstein” Levi said lowly

“Of course Sir, my apologies” Jean said quickly, moving his hands back to their spot behind your knees

“Leave him alone Levi” You laughed “He’s helping me out after all”

“Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue at you “That does not give his hands permission to  _ wander _ ”

“Come here” You beckoned him over with a wave of your hand

Levi eyed you suspiciously, but moved so that he was closer to you and Jean anyway.

“What is it?” he questioned

You lightly slapped him upside the head “Leave him alone” You smiled sweetly 

Levi grumbled to himself as he stepped a few feet away. You were sure he was calling you a brat and every other name under the sun that he could think of. You blew him a kiss from where you were, and even though he was pretending to be mad at you, you could see the small smile that spread across his face.

“We’re here” Jean announced, kicking the door in with his foot

Commander Erwin, Hange, and Mike were all sitting in the small office; and looked up at the three of you before them.

“What’s this?” Mike questioned, looking at you on Jean’s back

“Hange told me that I shouldn’t be walking around with my ankle for a while” You shrugged as Jean set you down in a chair next to Hange

“So you enlisted a cadet to be your lackey?” Erwin laughed

“Yes, but only until Levi over here heals” You smiled

“Oh, that reminds me” Levi spoke up from beside you “Erwin, there’s something we need to go over before we start this meeting”

“And what would that be?” He questioned and raised one of his, rather thick, eyebrows

You waited for Levi to speak again, but when he didn’t you realized that he was looking directly at you. You shot him a questioning glance, and he just smiled and cupped the back of your head with his hand. Slowly he pulled your face towards his, connecting your lips in a sweet kiss. You smiled into it, your hand coming up to rest against his chest, just below his white cravat.

“Woohoo!” Hange shouted in your ear, forcing you and Levi to break apart “I knew there was something going on with you two!”


	4. Chapter 4

“Woohoo!” Hange shouted in your ear, forcing you and Levi to break apart “I knew there was something going on with you two!”

 

“Well” Erwin cleared his throat “That was, uh, sure, I guess”

You chuckled and looked up at Commander Erwin, a slight blush dusting the apples of your cheeks.

“I promised that I would tell you about (Y/N) and I after we returned from the expedition, and we’re all here now so..” Levi explained, finally taking his seat in the chair next to you

“Alright” Erwin nodded “I’m happy for the two of you, though Levi, you know you shouldn’t be engaging in romantic relationships with cadets-”

Levi waved his hand at the Commander “I assume that this is why she’s here though, no?”

You looked questioningly between the two males “What am I here for? Am I in trouble?”

“No, no you’re not in trouble. Quite the opposite actually” Erwin smiled kindly at you, and Hange seemed to be getting pretty excited over in her corner

You raised your eyebrow at Erwin, still not completely understanding what was going on. Everyone in the room seemed to know something you didn’t, even Jean, who was still behind you with a slight smile on his face.

“Can someone explain? Or are you all just going to keep creepily staring at me and smiling?” You asked, after another minute of silence

“I want to make you a squad leader” Erwin finally told you, folding his hands across his desk

Now you were really confused, you didn't think that you had done anything significant to warrant this sudden promotion. Sure, you were a good soldier, and you were excelling with your gear and combat training; but this was almost out of nowhere, what had you done?

“My apologies Commander, I very much appreciate this gesture but I do have to ask, why me?”

“(Y/N)! Don’t question it! Just accept the position!” Hange nearly shouted

Erwin held up his hand to her “It’s alright Hange” he said and then turned his gaze back on you “As you know, Levi had asked for permission to transfer you to his elite squad”

You nodded along with him

“Well, I was thinking that your skills in both combat and with your gear are probably too advanced for you to still be a cadet. Even an elite soldier, so I spoke with Levi about this and we came to a solution that will hopefully suit everyone” Erwin finished, looking to Levi to finally tell you what they wanted from you

“Erwin came up with the idea, to have you be squad leader for the elite troops” Levi said “Still under my command though, of course”

Your jaw hung open. They wanted Levi  _ and _ you to be in command of the elite troops?

“What? But I-” You reached out towards Levi and wrapped your fingers around his hand “Are you sure?”

He nodded at you, and enveloped your hand in his “I’ve told you that you’re an amazing soldier, I would be glad to work beside you”

“So you can keep an eye on me?” You smiled at him

He shrugged “Maybe”

You rolled your eyes at him but laughed. “Alright, I suppose I can accept that”

“So you’ll take the position?” Erwin questioned

“I will gladly take the position, Commander”

 

It was about six weeks later, you and Levi were both fully healed and it was time to start combat training with the new elite squad. You stood next to Levi, one hand on your hip as you looked out over the new squad. You smirked to yourself and looked over to Levi,

“This should be fun” You chuckled

He smirked back at you and nodded “You may want to get the brats in order  _ Squad Leader _ ”

“As you wish  _ Captain” _

You turned your gaze back onto the Cadets who were still just standing around and chatting.

“Oi, Brats!” You called, gaining their attention “Line up”

They scrambled to follow your instructions, probably still intimidated more by Levi’s stare rather than you yelling at them.

“Today, we are going to have a bit of fun with your combat training so that we can properly asess your skills as of now” You said and clapped your hands together “Since you have  _ two _ leaders for this squad, we’re going to be picking teams”

“Teams?” Eren questioned from his spot in the line 

“Yes,  _ teams _ . Stupid brat” Levi said, rolling his eyes

You patted Levi lightly on the shoulder and smiled brightly at the cadets. “Levi and I will be picking you one at a time for our respective teams. I’ll go first! Mikasa, get over here”

You could feel Levi’s eyes on you after choosing Mikasa, you knew that he knew that you only picked her because he was most likely going to pick her first.

“Don’t give me that look shorty, the two of you are too similar, you’d end up fighting within minutes. Luckily, I know how to deal with you, so I can deal with her.” You smiled sweetly at the captain, and he rolled his eyes at you

“Tch, whatever. Jean! Move it!”

You smiled to yourself, because you knew that Jean was going to be Levi’s second choice.

“Sasha!”

“Armin!”

“Connie!”

Levi sighed to himself, since Eren was going to have to be on his team “Eren”

You smiled as you looked over your team, you had Mikasa, Sasha, and Connie; while Levi had Jean, Armin, and Eren.

“So who do you want to pair first?” Levi questioned you

“Hmm” You thought for a second and tapped your finger against your chin “Mikasa, you and Jean”

Mikasa nodded curtly, while you could see the blush spread over Jean’s cheeks. His eyes widened as she stepped towards him. You knew that Mikasa was going to have an easy take down with Jean.

“Ready?” You asked the soldiers as they took their places in front of each other

They both nodded to you. You raised your hand above your head, and dropped it almost immediately; signaling them to begin.

The pair struggled for a moment, but eventually Mikasa’s speed and skill were too much for Jean to keep up with, and he ended up in the dirt within minutes.

“One point to my team” You smiled triumphantly, and offered your hand to Mikasa for a high-five. “You pair next Levi”

“Sasha, and Armin. You guys are up” Levi called to the two of them, instructing them to take their positions just as Mikasa and Jean had.

You weren’t sure who was going to win this round, sure Sasha was better at regular combat skills, but Armin was very strategic and he could use this greatly to his advantage. Sasha danced around armin for a few minutes, her moves were fast but rather odd, you were not quite sure where she had learned her fighting style. She tired out quickly though, because she put all of her energy into her movements, making it easy for Armin to take her down. He gripped her wrist and flipped her over, she landed face down on the ground. A few of the cadets flinched at how hard she hit, but she got right back up and shook Armin’s hand.

“One point for my team” Levi said quietly, so only you heard it.

You smiled at him “So this is the tie-breaker then”

He nodded, and motioned for Eren and Connie to step up

“Alright you two, this is the tiebreaker for our little competition here. I’m fairly impressed with each of you and your combat skills so far, but there is always room for improvement” You reminded them, knowing fully well that no matter how good they were, Levi was going to put them through hell everyday during training.

“Cadets” You called attention of the two boys before you “Are you ready?”

They both nodded, taking their defensive stances.

“Ready! Begin!” Levi shouted, voice booming over all of the cadets

Eren and Connie looked like they were having more of a wrestling match then a normal combat scenario. They were rolling together on the ground, attempting to use their sheer strength to overpower the other. ANd before you could stop them, you saw Eren raise his elbow and plow it into Connie’s face

“Eren! That is not proper combat-” You cut yourself off as you saw Connie swing his knee into Eren’s crotch area.

“Connie!” You shouted

You stomped over to the two boys, pulling the two of them up by the back of their shirts.

“Both of you, you’re done here. Learn proper combat skills, or don’t come back to my training” You growled at the two of them “Now, get back in line” You shoved Eren back to Levi’s side and Connie back to your own side; before taking your place next to Levi again.

You crossed your arms over your chest “Well, since those two got themselves disqualified from this. I guess we remain at a tie”

“Squad Leader (Y/N)” Armin raised his hand

“Yes, Armin?”

“What about you and Captain Levi?”

“I’m sorry?” You questioned, your eyebrows furrowed

“The two of you could have your own round, therefore, breaking the tie and showing Eren and Connie proper combat techniques at the same time”

You turned to look at Levi, and raised a brow at him. He looked back at you and shrugged.

You sighed, undoing the button of your cape and letting it fall from around your shoulders, leaving you in just your white uniform pants and button down shirt. Levi stripped of his jacket as well, and even untied his cravat from around his neck.

You both assumed your defensive stances, fists raised just in front of your face. You were hesitant to make the first move, you’d never fought hand to hand against Levi. Levi seemed to sense your hesitance, and he smirked at you

“Scared, (Y/N)?” He questioned

“Only that you’ll break a hip, old man” you said, the corners of your lips turning up at the face he made because of your comment.

You and Levi were complete opposites when it came to hand to hand fighting. Though Levi was on the shorter side, he threw all of his weight into his punches, and kept a heavy stance on the ground; you, on the other hand, were quick in your movements and light on your feet. The two of you looked like you were performing a dance together, Levi throwing punches and kicks as you danced around him, avoiding the blow of the majority of his moves. He tried to sweep your legs out from under you, but you just jumped right over his head, rolling to the ground and coming up on your knee. Levi didn’t allow time to recover though, immediately going after you in your crouched position. He knocked you backwards, holding onto your shoulders.

“You always do like to be on top” You said as you looked up at his face

He thought he had won

“However” You said and locked your legs around his waist, using the strength of your legs to flip the two of you over “I do like to switch it up sometimes”

You legs still remained locked over his torso, and your hands pinned his wrists next to his face. He struggled against you for a moment, but eventually accepted his defeat.

“You got me” He chuckled up at you

You smiled at him and leaned down closer to his face “I also, won our little competition”

“You did, congratulations”

You finally closed the distance between the two of you, and let go of his wrists so that your hands would cup his jaw. His hands found their way to your waist, gripping it tightly.

The two of you only separated when one of the cadets that were still standing behind you, coughed. You and Levi both looked up to the group, and you could feel a blush rise to the apples of your cheeks. You cleared your throat and stood up off of Levi, extending a hand to help him stand as well.

“Is that how we should end all of our combat scenarios Squad Leader?” Jean chuckled

“Shut up, brats. You are all dismissed for today” Levi said

He gripped your hand in his and basically dragged you away from the group of cadets that were still chuckling at the actions that had just taken place before them.

The two of you ended up back in Levi’s office; he was leaning his weight onto his desk and you stood between his legs. His hands stroked softly up and down your sides, and he smiled as he looked up at you.

“I love you” He said, pulling you slightly closer to him

You smiled and looped your arms around his shoulders. Pressing a sweet but chase kiss to lips lips.

“I love you too, Captain”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this story! It was my first one that I've ever written for both Attack on Titan and from a reader's perspective. Again, let me know if you guys want any backstory as to how/when Levi and the Reader met!


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